Tall, striking, thistle-like plants with serrated leaves and large spiny flower heads. A valuable source of nectar for bees and butterflies, as well as attracting many seed-eating birds to your garden or wild flower meadow. Makes attractive, dried, cut flowers.

Height: 130 cm.

Flowers: jul-aug

Type: HB

Hardy in: zones 3 to 9 (-25 Celsius)

Sowing instructions: Sow February to June onto the surface of a good, free-draining, damp, seed compost. Cover with a very fine sprinkling of compost or vermiculite. Place sown container in a propagator or seal container inside a polythene bag at a temperature of 15-20 Celsius until after germination which usually takes 1-3 months. Do not exclude light as this helps germination.